Yourlawyer.com (Pancreatitis News) http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/pancreatitis Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:53:54 -0800 pixel-app en Parker & Waichman Files Claims Against Eli Lilly and Company on Behalf of Three Individuals Claiming Injuries Caused by Zyprexa; Plaintiffs Diagnosed with Serious Cases of Diabetes and Pancreatitis http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7798 Fri, 19 Mar 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/7798
The British Medical Control Agency and the Japanese Health and Welfare Ministry have both warned about the risk of diabetes in patients who are prescribed Zyprexa. In 2002, a study at Duke University showed a connection between Zyprexa and diabetes. This study documented nearly 300 cases of diabetes in people using Zyprexa. Only recently has Eli Lilly and Company added some language to their labeling in the United States concerning the risk of diabetes from Zyprexa.

"We are confident that we will bring justice to our clients whose lives have been permanently affected by the side-effects of a drug that provides little efficacious benefit, but causes life-threatening injuries," commented Jerrold S. Parker, Co-Founder of Parker & Waichman.

"With the alarming studies that have been conducted and the warnings from national health agencies about Zyprexa's link to blood sugar disorders, it is appalling that Eli Lilly has not issued adequate warnings and that they continue to market this drug heavily directly to consumers."

Zyprexa was approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in 1996 and for the treatment of bipolar mania in 2000. It is part of a new generation of antipsychotics known as atypicals, which include Seroquel, Risperdal, Abilify, Clozaril, and Geodon. Ironically, the primary advantage of the newer atypical antipsychotic medications was supposed to be a lower incidence of side effects than the conventional antipsychotics introduced in the 1950s (Haldol, Thorazine, Prolixin, Navane, Stelazine, Trilafon, and Mellaril).

More information on Zyprexa side-effects is available at Parker & Waichman's Zyprexa website www.zyprexa-side-effects.com. Current and former Zyprexa users can visit this to request a free legal evaluation.

For more information on Parker & Waichman, LLP please visit http://www.yourlawyer.com or call 1-800-LAW-INFO. Current and former shareholders are also encouraged to visit http://www.injurytalk.com.

Contact:

David Krangle, Esq.
Parker & Waichman, LLP
1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636)
http://www.yourlawyer.com
dkrangle@yourlawyer.com]]> Atypical Antipsychotics May Cause Pancreatitis http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/10442 Tue, 02 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/10442
An analysis of adverse reactions to the medicines reported to the government and in medical journals showed that there were more cases of pancreatitis, an uncommon but potentially fatal condition, among patients taking the newer medicines than those taking haloperidol, an older antipsychotic drug on the U.S. market since 1969.

The difference is provocative, the researchers say, because the 68 million prescriptions written for haloperidol during the study period are more than double the number for any of the newer medicines, the first of which became available in 1991 in the U.S. The report is part of growing body of scientific work suggesting a link between the "atypical" antipsychotic medicines and disorders of the pancreas, including diabetes.

The researchers analyzed reports of adverse reactions from antipsychotic medicines during a 21-year period ending in February 2002. Only six cases of pancreatitis were reported for patients taking only haloperidol, sold as Haldol by Johnson & Johnson. In contrast, there were 53 documented cases of pancreatitis reported for patients taking only Clozapine, the first of the atypical antipsychotics, sold under the brand name Clozaril by Novartis AG.

Among patients taking only Zyprexa, made by Eli Lilly & Co., there were 40 documented pancreatitis cases, and patients taking only Risperdal, also sold by Johnson & Johnson, accounted for 17 documented cases.

A spokesman for Eli Lilly said: "Zyprexa has been used successfully by millions of patients and has a dependable safety and effectiveness profile." He reserved specific comment on the study of pancreatitis until company researchers could review it.

The results appear in the current issue of the medical journal Pharmacotherapy.

The researchers stressed that the risk of an inflamed pancreas from taking any of the antipsychotic medicines is very small. "Nothing in this report should discourage people from appropriate use of atypical antipsychotics, which can be lifesaving for many patients," said P. Murali Doraiswamy, a Duke University psychiatrist and co-author of the study.

Nonetheless, he said the results should alert doctors to a potential difference between haloperidol and the newer antipsychotics.

A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said the company agrees with the study's authors that the risks of pancreatitis appear to be quite small, particularly for Risperdal, but agree that further investigation is warranted.

The study was limited by its historical look at reports made voluntarily to the Food and Drug Administration and in the medical literature. Dr. Doraiswamy said doctors may have been more likely to report problems with the atypical antipsychotics because they were newer and less familiar than haloperidol. Also, difficult-to-treat patients are more likely to receive the newer drugs, he said, and some of these people may be more predisposed to pancreatitis due to complicating conditions, such as alcoholism.

"There is a need for more rigorous studies to look for a cause-and-effect relationship," Dr. Doraiswamy said.]]> Risperdal Zyprexa Atypical Antipsychotics Pancreatitis Side Effects Lawyer http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/pancreatitis Tue, 02 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/pancreatitis Pancreatitis

Several prescription medications have been associated with causing Pancreatitis. Studies have shown that atypical antipsychotic drugs including: Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel and Geodon can cause Pancreatitis. These drugs have also been linked with another blood sugar disorder: hyperglycemia. Antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to treat patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. For more information on diabetes please read below.

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum. The duodenum is the upper part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine through a tube called the pancreatic duct. These enzymes help digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body use the glucose it takes from food for energy.

Normally, digestive enzymes do not become active until they reach the small intestine, where they begin digesting food. But if these enzymes become active inside the pancreas, they start "digesting" the pancreas itself. Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time and usually resolves.

Acute pancreatitis usually begins with pain in the upper abdomen that may last for a few days. The pain may be severe and may become constant, just in the abdomen or it may reach to the back and other areas. It may be sudden and intense or begin as a mild pain that gets worse when food is eaten. Someone with acute pancreatitis often looks and feels very sick.

Other symptoms may include: swollen and tender abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever, and rapid pulse.

Severe cases may cause dehydration and low blood pressure. The heart, lungs, or kidneys may fail. If bleeding occurs in the pancreas, shock and sometimes death follows.

If you or a loved one has taken Atypical antipsychotic drugs and been diagnosed with Pancreatitis, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified defective drug attorney.

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